DeLaet, Day leadoff hitters at Presidents Cup

International team members Graham DeLaet of Canada (right) and Jason Day of Australia look toward the fairway on the ninth tee during the first practice round for the Presidents Cup on Wednesday at Muirfield Village Golf Club. (Reuters)

DUBLIN, OHIO - Upon learning that he and Jason Day would be leading off for the Internationals to kick off the 2013 Presidents Cup here at Muirfield Village on Thursday, Canada’s Graham DeLaet eagerly quipped that “you might as well jump in head-first.”

Were those not the same words used by the slaves in ancient Rome just before they were fed to the lions?

Many observers feel DeLaet and his pals are in for such a gory fate, one which could see the Americans shredding captain Nick Price’s International squad by the time Sunday rolls around.

Perhaps the best way to interpret Price’s decision to have the DeLaet-Day duo break the ice is that it indicates just how much confidence Price has in the up-and-comer from Weyburn, Sask.

“I think it’s great,” DeLaet said on Wednesday afternoon, standing just off the 18th green after finishing his nine-hole practice round. “It shows that Nick believes in me, believes in us.